Kultur2

I thought those articles were really funny and a unique insight into German culture. The staring article was really funny, especially when thinking about the contrast with American culture where we are taught that it's not polite to stare at others and people get really creeped out by it. The article about the honesty was interesting to read as well because we can all relate to how we tend to "beat around the bush," as they said it. It's kind of refreshing to see that that's the common way to do things over there since sometimes here it's like people can say one thing and mean something totally different. I feel like it would be really hard to adjust to that style though because I would be so worried about offending people. The article on statistics was interesting to think about; I never really thought about statistics as being a way to kind of represent where you're from, and it was interesting to read how they put a lot of emphasis on data like that. As for the complaining article, it was funny to read because I think every culture can relate to that and you can always find something wrong with the situation you're in. Reading these articles makes me want to travel outside of the United States and see another culture firsthand!

Kultur2

Reading the German articles were quite interesting and funny. It is always funny when someone visits a different country, because usually the culture is quite different from their own culture. I thought it was a little creepy with the German staring, but I am sure most travlers would get used to it quickly. I thought the article talking about the German complaining was very funny, because I seem to notice that this is the case for most people. Most people complain about their town, or their house, or a multitude of things, but then once they move or see other things, they realize that they don't really have it so bad. I think the brutally honest article was also interesting, and I actually like that, because we Americans are so indirect, and it must be very confusing for visitors because what we say isn't actually what we mean all the time. I also thought the statstics article was captivating, but Germany is much smaller than the United States, so I think it is easier for Germans to get statistical information on Germany than it is for Americans about the United States, but I must say I applaud them for being so knowledge about where they live.

Kulture 2

Kapitel 2

Those articles were quite hilarious to read about. The way it was written was funny. Oddly enough though, when I went to Deutschland last summer I didn’t really experience any of those things, or rather I didn’t notice. I didn't have anyone stare at me uncomfortably or anything. I didn't hear a lot of complaints. Maybe it was because I was protected from the culture by going on a Trafalgar Tour. Next time, for sure, I will go on my own, hopefully with my girlfriend. Sie Eltern are both Deutsch, so I told her to show them. Should be funny. I don’t really notice these things from them either, except for the fact that she likes to watch documentaries, which I started laughing about as soon as I read it. These were fun articles to read, I hope to learn more about the quirky Deutsch kultur.

Willkommen!!

Welcome to our class blog!

We will be using this blog throughout the semester for two kinds of assignments:

1. Once per chapter, the homework plan will direct you to post a response to the culture readings for the chapter on the blog.

2. Roughly every other week, the homework plan will direct you to post here for your Abenteuer mit Deutsch (AMD) assignment. First you do a fun activity that involves German, then you post about it. You should spend an hour total on this (maybe 45-55 minutes doing something, 5-15 minutes posting about it). See Was ist ein AMD, AMD Ideen and Beispiele for ideas. This should get you excited about the kinds of things you can do!

Whenever you post something, please include your name and the name of the assignment (e.g. AMD2, Kultur5) as labels. See "Blog: How To" for more details!